The present invention relates to sports balls having an outer shell (covering) which provides enhanced gripping and increased frictional engagement for handling, the outer shell providing housing for a filler material. The outer shell may be one or more layers of artificial leather constructed from a plurality of shaped sections (also referred to as panels or pads) designed to be joined together at seams to form a generally spherical ball. The covering may be made to accommodate a variety of ball sizes and the shaped sections may be all a single shape or may be mixed with other shapes to form the ball, depending on the size of the ball desired.
The present disclosure describes technology related to a ball for use in a sporting activity. The technology is well suited for use in “hard-ball” sports such as baseball, lacrosse, jai alai, field hockey, ice hockey, softball, hurling, and indoor roller hockey. Through the use of the techniques disclosed herein, a sporting goods manufacturer can generate sports balls that have advantages over those currently available. Such advantages include impact-absorbing qualities, softness, durability and improved safety for players, while maintaining the size and weight of a regulation ball. Sports balls with these qualities are able to withstand repeated impacts that occur during training while also being less likely to cause injury upon impact and accordingly are better suited for training.
Injuries and fear of injuries are obstacles to overcome in getting young people involved in sports. This is especially true for sports that involve playing with balls that have hard covers or hard outer surfaces or are entirely solid. It is not unusual in such sports for inexperienced players to either misdirect the ball so that it strikes someone else or to lose track of the flight of the ball and inadvertently be struck by it. Each of these circumstances can result is injuries to players or bystanders of a sport.
The risk of such injuries can cause novices (especially children) to forego a sport altogether or, in the event that they do try to learn the sport, to have a more difficult time learning the sport due to a fear of being hit. Anxieties among novice players can be detrimental to the growth of popularity of a sport. Lacrosse is an example of a sport that is gaining in popularity, but its popularity may be limited because it is played with a hard rubber ball. A lacrosse ball is an example of the type of ball that can cause anxiety in novice players. Some players are less likely to take up a sport such as lacrosse due to the protective equipment required for the game. Lacrosse balls that absorb impact when they make contact reduce the importance of such protective equipment and thus may encourage greater participation in the sport.
In lacrosse, for example, a need exists for a sports training ball that flies and throws in a similar fashion as a regulation ball but absorbs impact in the event of a collision. Such sports training balls would allow players of the game to train in a safe and confident manner. To be best suited for training, a ball needs to meet the specification of the game's governing body with regard to aerodynamic and physical properties (e.g., weight, air-resistance, and circumference) so that the training ball is similar to a ball that would be used in an official competition. However, for training purposes such an improved ball should absorb impact so as to minimize harm to players if or when they are struck and thereby minimize the anxieties of new players. Reducing anxiety also increases players' ability to learn proper stick skills and form (e.g., in lacrosse, the stick should be held close to the body) because they are not as afraid of getting hit by the ball. Furthermore, a sports ball for use in training must be designed and built to maintain impact-absorption and aerodynamic properties through numerous impacts and through demanding usage.